This invention relates to a sliding door as described in the introduction to claim 1.
DE 44 20 167 C1 describes a compact air curtain system to shield a building opening. In this case, the compact air curtain system has a fan that is installed in a housing as well as an air blower nozzle located on the downstream side of the fan. In this case, the air blower nozzle is installed so that it can be pivoted toward the outside of the building, and so that depending on the temperature difference between the interior of the building and the exterior of the building, an adequate shielding of the building opening can be achieved by an appropriate pivoting of the blower nozzle. The pivoting of the air blower nozzle as a function of the temperature is thereby achieved by coupling the air blower nozzle with a temperature sensor in the entrance area of the building opening. However, if wind gusts penetrate this air curtain system and blow into the building opening at temperatures which correspond to a temperature specified by a control unit for the air curtain system, there is no adjustment of the air blower nozzles and thus of the air curtain. Consequently, the wind gusts in the entrance area of the building can spread out and result in uncomfortable conditions.
The object of the invention is to realize a sliding door with a ventilation system, such that an adequate screening is also made possible even in the event of different outdoor wind pressures.
The object of the invention is accomplished on a sliding door of the prior art by the features disclosed in the characterizing portion of claim 1. The blower nozzle is thereby coupled with an air speed indicator or anemometer, so that the pivoting angle of the blower nozzle is set as a function of the air speed on the outside of the building measured by the air speed indicator.
The dependent claims disclose an additional configuration of the invention.
Because the blower nozzle is coupled with an air speed indicator, the blower nozzle can be set as a function of the wind load that acts on the entrance/exit, and can form an adequate air curtain. In other words, the air curtain withstands the outdoor wind load, and there are no gusts of air into the interior of the building.
It is also possible, as a result of the coupling of air speed indicator and blower nozzle by an appropriately located control unit, to adapt the blower air volume and thus the xe2x80x9cstrengthxe2x80x9d of the air curtain to the external wind load, and to prevent a penetration of the wind into the interior of the building.
The sliding door is preferably a curved sliding door and the side-pieces as well as the moving panel or panels are also realized in a curved shape. This realization of both the side-pieces and the moving panel in the form of a curved sliding door results in high stability even with high outdoor wind pressures.
To achieve an additional shielding of the interior of the building against penetrating wind gusts, the invention teaches, in an additional preferred embodiment, the provision of two additional inner side-pieces that run into the interior of the building and are adjacent to the external side-pieces, whereby there is at least one movable panel corresponding to the inner side-pieces. As a result of the combination of outer and inner side-pieces as well as outer and inner movable panels, an air lock is created which further minimizes the risk of the penetration of air into the interior of the building.
Because there are limits to the quantity of air that can be blown, and which are set by the sensitivity of the people entering and exiting the building, the degree of opening of the moving panel or panels is preferably set as a function of the wind speed measured by the air speed indicator. In other words, at very high wind speeds and thus very strong wind loads, the degree of opening of the moving panel or panels is reduced, so that less air can penetrate from outside into the air lock, as a result of which, to shield the penetrating quantity of air, a smaller quantity of air is discharged from the blower nozzle. To achieve a further optimization, there can be a reciprocal movement of the outer and inner moving panels, i.e. if the outer moving panel is opened, the inner moving panel is simultaneously closed and vice-versa.
The invention also teaches that it is advantageous to set the pivoting angle of the blower nozzle as a function of the degree of opening of the moving panel or panels. This measure further optimizes the shielding of the external wind pressure.
In one preferred embodiment of this invention, at least one blower nozzle is located on each of the two sides and on the ceiling of the building entry/exit area. This measure makes possible a closed air curtain over the full cross section of the entry/exit and thus an optimal screening against the external wind load.
To achieve a simple realization of the sliding door with the ventilation system claimed by the invention, the blower nozzles are each located in a ventilation duct which can be located, for example, in the vicinity of the connection between the sliding door and the building, and is therefore practically invisible.
Finally, instead of air, another gaseous medium can be discharged into the lock. The use of another medium can be beneficial in locks for clean rooms and similar applications.
The above discussed embodiments of the present invention will be described further hereinbelow with reference to the accompanying figures. When the word xe2x80x9cinventionxe2x80x9d is used in this specification, the word xe2x80x9cinventionxe2x80x9d includes xe2x80x9cinventionsxe2x80x9d, that is, the plural of xe2x80x9cinventionxe2x80x9d. By stating xe2x80x9cinventionxe2x80x9d, the Applicant does not in any way admit that the present application does not include more than one patentably and non-obviously distinct invention, and maintains that this application may include more than one patentably and non-obviously distinct invention. The Applicant hereby asserts that the disclosure of this application may include more than one invention, and, in the event that there is more than one invention, that these inventions may be patentable and non-obvious one with respect to the other.